Tobacco-stemming machine



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(No Model.)

ToBAcco STBMMING MACHINE.

INo." 556,324. Patented Mar. 10, 1896.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.

J. B. UNDERWOGD. vTOBAGGO'STEMMNG B EAHIITE.y V No. 556,324. Patented Mar. 10, 1896.

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(No Modem- 3 Sheets-.Sheet-S. J. B. UNDERWOOD. TOBAGGO STEMMING MACHINE.

PaJ-teted Mar. 10,- 1896..

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[99C gr l/B. Underwood Wilqcsscs UNITED STATES 'PATENT JOSEPH B. UNDERVVOOD, OF FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

TOBACCO-STEMMING MACHINE.

SPECXFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,324, dated March 10, 1896. Appiano-,1 me@ December 6,1894. semina. 531,022. (No model.)

To LZZ whom it may concern.-

'Be it known that I, JOSEPH BUNDERWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fayetteville, in the county of Cumberland ,andy

machine that will positively insure the removal of the main longitudinal stem from leaf-tobacco without thc use of knives or other cutting devices. V

n To this end the invention therefore contemplates a construction of stemming-machine that provides for the separation of the stem and the body portion of a tobacco-leaf by providing for a drawing action on the stem, while the body portion of the leaf is held or retarded in a manner that allows the stem to be practically torn or severed from the leaf in contradistinction to the usual methods of cuttingor sawing the leaf from the stem as heretofore accomplished in other machines. 1n securing theresults sought for the present machine also provides means for insuring thestripping of remaining portions ofthe body of the 'leaf from the stem while the latter is retarded, and thereby incidentally providing two grades of tobacco, one for cigars and the other for smoking purposes.

Vith these and other objects in view,which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is bet-ter understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of a tobaccostemming machine constructed in accordance with this invention. sec-tional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View on the line 3 3.0f Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail side .elevation of the machine at one end thereof. Fig. 5 is a similar viewof the side of the machine oppositc the side illustrated in Fig 4. Fig. G is an enlarged diagrammatic sectional view of the stripping mechanism of the nia- ,v

chine. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of a portion of the supcrposed pair of upper and lower stripper-rolls.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a suitable supporting frame or stand, having an upper horizontal portion 2, in which is arranged a flat feed-table 3. The feed-table extends nearly the entire length of the upper horizontal portion 2 of the frame 1, and has arranged to pass thereoverl the upper horizontal portion of the endless feedbelt 4. The feed-belt 4 may consist of a continuous smooth feed-belt, or may be constructed .in any other suitable manner to provide for feeding the tobacco-leaf with the stem therein to the stripping mechanism of the machine, and the opposite outer and inner portions of said belt pass respectively around the outer and inner belt-rollers, 4a and 5. The outer belt-roller, 4, is mounted in adjustable bearings 6, which provide means for maintaining the feed-belt at the proper tension, and the inner of said belt-rollers, 5, has the shaft extremities thereof mounted in iixed bearings, and one of the shaft extremities of the inner belt-roller, 5, carries a cog- Wheel 7, arranged at one side of the frame and providing means for transmitting motion `to the belt and to another part of the machine in a manner to be presently referred to.

The longitudinally-arranged feed-belt 4 is designed to feed the unstemmed tobacco-leaf up to a pair of normally-contacting upper and lower stripper-rolls, 8 and 9, respectively;

The stripper-rolls 8 and 9 are arranged in contact with each other and one directly above the other, and s'aid rolls are designed to rotate in opposite directions, intermittently, to provide for the proper feeding of 'the stem through lthe machine, and also 'for retarding the body portion of the leaf. The shaft extremities of the lower of said stripper-rolls, 9, are mounted in stationary bearings 10 yatl opposite sides of the horizontal frame portion '2, and the opposite shaft extremities of the upper stripper-roll, 8, are arranged in opposite vertically-disposed Abear- Iing-slots 11, formed in the opposite bearinguprights 12, arranged at one end and opposite the top sides of the frame 2. The said vertically disposed bearing slots 11 accommodate therein the vertically-movable bearinglblocks 13, that are arranged to bear on the lopposite shaft extremities of the upper strip- '-'f-per-roll to provide for holding the said upper stripper-roll yieldingly in contact with the lower stripper-rolltand arranged above the IOO bearing-blocks 13, and within the opposite side recesses 14 of the slots 11, are the coilsprings 15, on the upper ends of which bear the opposite ends of a transverse tension-bar 16, working in the slots 11 of the bearing-uprights 12. The transverse tension-bar 16 is arranged between the bearing-uprights 12, above the stripper-rolls, and is adjusted to regulate the tensi'on of the springs 15 by means of the adjusting thumb-screws 17, working through threaded openings 18 at opposite ends of a stationary cross-bar 19, connecting the opposite bearing-uprights 12 at the upper ends of the slots 11 therein.

The stripper-rolls 8 and 9 are provided with a series of circular spaced peripheral flanges 20, which may be either formed integral with the rolls or separately placed thereon, and in either construction the said spaced circular flanges form therebetween circular stem-grooves 2l, which admitof a free passage of the stem therethrough, while the flanges of the said rolls grip the body of the leaf and provide for the retarding thereof. The circular flanges of the upper and lower stripper-rolls, 8 and 9, have a frictional contact to provide for securing a frictional grip on the body of the leaf to positively insure the retarding thereof, while the stem of the leaf is drawn through the spaces between the stripper-rolls formed by the stem-grooves 21. The said flanges 2O are preferably spaced at regular distances apart, so that the stemgrooves will be of substantially the same width asthe flanges, and the series of alternate flanges and stem-grooves extend from end to end of the rolls 8 and 9, so that the entire length of said rolls may be utilized for gripping the tobacco-leaf.

The superposed contacting stripper-rolls 8 and 9 are made to provide for securing a nonslipping or frictional grip on the body portion of the tobacco-leaf at both sides of the stem; but only one of said rolls is necessarily made of rubber, while the other roll is made of metal,

as is illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, in which figure of the drawings the lower roll, 9, is illustrated as being made of metal, and the flanges 20 of said lower roll are provided with milled peripheral edges 22, which, together with the contacting flanges 20 of the upper roll, provide for the necessary nonslipping or frictional grip on the tobacco-leaf, as will be readily apparent. The upper and lowerstripper-rolls, 8 and 9,

are positively geared together at one end by,

the cog-wheels 23, mounted on one of the shaft extremities of the said rolls at one side of the frame, and the same shaft extremity of the lower stripper roll that carries the cogwheel 23 also carries a second cog-wheel, 24, with which meshes the mutilated reversing gear-wheel 25. The mutilated reversing gearwheel25 is arranged at one side of the machine-frame and isprovided with an internal gear-flange 26, that l,meshes with'the teethat the upper side of the cog-wheel 24, to provide u l l l the internal teeth of the flange 2G mesh with' 8c the wheel 24.

The mutilated gear-wheel 25 rotates in one direction, and the separate gear portions of the said wheel during one rotation thereof provide for intermittently rotating the upper and lower stripper-rolls, 8 and 9, to provide for the proper stripping operation of the tobacco-leaf in a manner that will be presently referred to, and the said mutilated gear-wheel 25 is mounted on one end of a counter-shaft l 28, that is journaled transversely in suitable bearings 29 secured to the stand 1 below the horizontal frame portion 2, and on the end of the shaft 28, opposite the wheel 25, is mounted a large spur-wheel 30.

The spur-wheel 30, that is mounted on one end of the shaft 28, meshes with the cog-wheel '7 On'one shaft extremity of the inner beltroller, 5, and thereby provides means for transmitting motion to the feed-belt, and motion is also communicated from the cog-wheel 7 to an adjacent idler cog-wheel 3l, mounted atone side of one of the bearing-uprights 12 and meshing with a gear-pinion 32, mounted on one shaft extremity of an upper clearingroll, The upper clearing-roll, 33, is arranged transversely between the opposite bearing-uprights 12, and is disposed above and at one side of the upper stripper-roll, 8. Theupper clearing-roll, 33, is made of any suitable material and is provided from end to end thereof with a longitudinal series of peripheral spaced circular flanges 34, that are adapted to project into the stem-grooves 21 of the upper stripper-roll, 8, between the flanges 2O thereof, and the lrapid rotation of said clearing-roll serves to clear-the upper stripper-roll, 8, of-the stripped or stemmed tobacco-leaf and to throw such stemmed leaf down between the stripper-rolls and the inner portion of the feed-belt into the compartment 35, formed within the supporting frame or stand at one side of the vertical partition-Wall 36, that is arranged within the said frame or stand directly below and in a' line with the stripper-rolls and serves to provide'the frame or stand below the stripping. mechanism into two compartments 35 and 37,

respectively.

The clearing-roll 33 provides for clearing the upper stripper-roll, 8, of the stemmed tobacco-leaf, and the same function is accomplished in connection with thelower stripperroll,9, by an upright clearer-plate 38, suit- IOO IIO

grooves at the lower side of the roll 9, between the flanges 2O thereof.

Directly adjacent to and at one side of the superposed pair of contacting stripper-rolls J8 and 9 is arranged a-pai'r of superposed contacting upper and lower drawing-rolls, 40 and 41, respectively.- The drawing-rolls. 40 and 41 are preferably made of rubber and rotate in opposite directions to provide for grasping therebetween the butt-end of a tobacco-leaf steam and drawing the same While the body I'of theleaf is held firmly between the oppositely rotating and contacting stripper-rolls-S and 9. The shaft extremities of the lo wer of said drawing-rolls, 41, are mounted in stationary bearings at opposite sides of the frame, and the shaft extremities of the upper drawing-roll, 40, are arranged in the opposite vertically-dispbsed bearing-slots 42, formed in the opposite bearing-uprights 12, and said slots also accommodate therein the movable bearing-blocks 43, the springs 44, arranged on said bearing-blocks, and the op,- posite ends of the transverse tension-bar 45, on which are arranged to work the lower ends of the adjusting-screws 46, mounted in opposite ends of the stationary cross-bar 47, all of which construction is similar to the tensionadjusting devices for the upper stripper-roll, 8, as previously described.

The specific manner of mounting the upper drawing-roll, 40, provides for holding the same in yielding contact with the lower drawing-roll, 41, and the contact between these two rolls is sufficiently firm to ordinarily provide for rotating the upper roll simply by its frictional contact with the lower roll, and one of the shaft extremities of the lower drawingroll, 41, has mounted thereon a small and a large cog-wheel 48 and 49, respectively. The small cog-wheel 48 on one of the shaft extremities of the roll 41 meshes with the spurwheel 30 to provide for transmitting motion thereto, and the large cog-wheel 49 on the same shaft extremity as the wheel 48 meshes with a wide gear-pinion 50, mounted on one end of the drive-shaft 51.`

The manner of mounting the drawing-rolls as just referred to provides means whereby said rolls are yieldingly supported toward each other, so that any inequality which may occur-in the thickness of the stems as they pass through or between the drawing-rolls may be readily compensated for by the drawing-rolls separatingsufliciently apart to allow for the passage of the stems therebetween.

The drive-shaft 51 carries' upon one end at one side of the wide gear-pinion 50 the fast and loose b elt-pulleys 51a and 52 to receive the drivin g-belt for the machine,and arranged to work over these pulleys is the belt-shifting loop 53, mounted on one end of 'the shifting-bar 54, arranged to slide in suitable openings 55,`formed inopposite end uprights of the machine frame or stand, and said bar 54 is provided at the end opposite the loop 53 with the handle 56, whereby the operator can readily shift the belt from one pulley to the other in starting and stopping 'the machine. Ari anged transversely within the frame portion 2 at one end thereof and at one side of the superposed contacting drawing-rolls 40 and 41 is a group of supplemental stripper-rolls, which group preferably comprises a pair of adjacent lower supplemental stripper-rolls, 57 and d8, respectively, and an upper supplemental stripper-roll, 59, arranged between and contacting with the upper side of both of the rolls 57 and 58. All of the supplemental stripper-rolls are preferably made of rubber and are constructed similar to the main stripper-rolls 8 and 9, and are therefore provided with a longitudinal series of spaced peripheral contacting Iianges 60 and intermediate stem-grooves 61, formed between the said flanges 60.

The lower adjacent supplemental stripperrolls, 57 and 58,are mounted in fixed positions, and the upper supplemental stripper-roll, 59, isv self-adjusting and is held in yielding contact with the rolls 57 and 58 by means of the tension devices 62, which tension devices 62 are the same as the tension devices for the rolls Sand 40,as hereinbefore described. The shaft extremities of one of the lower supplemental stripper-rolls, 57, carry the cog-wheels 63, one of which cog-wheels at oneend of the roll 57 meshes with the wide gear-pinion 50 of the drive-shaft 51, and the cog-wheel 63 at the opposite end of the roll 57 meshes with an adjacent cog-wheel 64 on one shaft extremity of the upper supplemental stripperroll, 59. The shaft extremity of the upper stripper-roll, 59, opposite the cog-wheell 64 carries a cog-wheel 65, meshing with an adjacent similar wheel 67 onone shaft extremity of the lower supplemental stripper-roll, 58, thereby completing a gear connection between the rolls 57, 58 and 59,which insures the positive rotation thereof.

In operation the unstemmed tobacco-leaf is placed on the feed-belt 4 and is fed up to and between the main stripper-rolls 8 and 9. The short gear-segment 27 of the mutilated reversing gear-wheel 25 when it comes into engagement with the cog-wheel 24' provides for imparting to the rolls 8 and 9 a short rotation toward the adjacent drawing-rolls, and this rotation of the main stripper-rolls is suficent to carry the butt-end of the stem in between the drawing-rolls 40 and 41, which, by reason of4 the gearing described, have a faster rotation than the rolls 8 and 9, and will therefore tend to draw or tear the stem out from the body of the leaf which is held between the stripper-rolls. By the time the drawing-rolls-secure a grip on the butt-end of the leaf-stem the internal gear-flange of the Wheel 25 has come into engagement with the cog-wheel 24, and immediately reverses IOO the rotation of the stripper-rolls 8 and 9 and turns the same in a direction away from the drawing-rolls. In this rotation the stripperrolls maintain a iirm frictional grip on ,the body of the leaf, while the s tem is freely drawn thro ugh the stem-grooves of the stripper-rolls by the drawing-rolls, and the clearing devices for the main stripper-rolls relieve said stripper-rolls from the stemmed leaf and direct the same into the compartment 35. j The 'leafste1n passes from between the drawing-rolls i0 and lin between the supplcmcntal stripperrolls 57, 5S, and 59. The supplemental strippenrolls, by reason of the gearing described, have a faster rotation than the drawing-rolls, and therefore the drawing rolls tend to retard or hold the stem, which passes into the grooves of the faster rotating supplemental stripper-rolls, so that the contaeting flanges of said supplemental stripperrolls Will strip off from the stem any remaining portions of the body of the leaf and will throw or direct such remaining portions of the body of the leaf into the compartment 37 at one side of the partition 3G, and such porw tions of the leaf may be used for smokin gpurposes.

The function of the supplemental stripperi rolls is important for the reason that there is necessarily a space between the contacting surfaces of the main stripper and drawing rolls, and since the main stripper-rolls do not commence to strip the leaf until the drawingrolls have caught the stem a small portion of the body of the leaf remains 011 the stem near the butt-end thereof, and this portion of the leaf is removed from the stem by the supplemental stripper-rolls in the manner described. At this point it will be observed that, with relation to the supplemental stripper-rolls,the first set of stripper-rolls 8 and 9 and the adjacent draWing-rolls 40 and 41 constitute a primary stripping mechanism for stripping off the major portion of the body of the leaf from the stem, while the supplemental strip` pcrrolls constitute a secondary stripping mechanism forstripping off from the stem any remaining portions of the body of the leaf not stripped therefrom by the primary stripping mechanism referred to.

The capacity of the hereindescribed machine may be increased by widening the frame and correspondingly lengthening the rolls or by arranging two or more of the machines side by side and gearing them together, and it will be understood that any changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing.

from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

The improvements herein described snpplement the improvements lset forth in my pgrlgier patent, No. 543,143, issued July 23,

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

l. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair of contacting stripper-rolls provided with means to retard the body of the leaf and to `permit the free passage of the stem, said rolls having an alternate rotation in opposite directions, and a pair of adjacent drawing-rolls, substantially as described.

2. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair of superposed contacting stripper-rolls provided With means to retard the body of the leaf and to permit the free passage of the stem, said rolls having an alternate rotation in opposite directions, and a pair of superposed adjacent faster-rotatin g drawing-rolls, subst-am tially as described.

3. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair of superposed contacting stripper-rolls provided with means to retard the body of the leaf and to permit the free passage of the stem,

. said rolls having an alternate rotation in opposite directions, a pair of adjacent drawingrolls, and supplemental stripperrolls arranged at one side of the drawing-rolls, substantially as described.

- 4. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair of superposed contacting stripper-rolls provided With means to retard the body of the leaf and to permit the free passage of the stem, said rolls having an alternate rotation in op posite directions, a pair of adjacent faster-rotating drawing-rolls, and supplemental contactin g stripper-rolls arranged adjacent to the drawingerolls, substantially described.

5. In a tobacco-stemmin g machine, the combination of a pair of superposed frictionally contacting and intermittently forwardly rotatin g stripper-rolls having means to retard the body of the leaf and permit the free passage of the stem, a similar pair of adjacent faster-rotating drawing-rolls, and a group of contacting supplemental stripperrolls arranged adjacent to the drawing rolls and adapted to rotate faster than the same, substantially as set forth.

G. In a tobacco-stemming machine, the combination of a pair of superposed intermittently forwardly rotating stripper-rolls provided with a longitudinal series of peripheral frietionally-contaeting flanges, and stem-grooves formed between said flanges, a pair of super IOO IIO

posed contacting drawing-rolls arranged adjacent to the stripper-rolls, and a group of contacting supplemental stripper-rolls provided with peripheral frictionally-contaetin g fianges,and stem-grooves between the flanges, said supplemental rolls being arranged at one side of the drawingrolls, and means for rotating the drawing-rolls faster than the intermittently-rotatin g stripper-rolls, and also for rotating the supplemental stripper-rolls faster than the drawing-rolls, substantially as set forth.

7. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair of intermittently forwardly rotating superposed'stripper-rolls provided with a series of frictionally-contacting peripheral flanges and stem-grooves between the flanges, the flanges of one of said rolls being provided with milled peripheral edges, a superposed pair of contacting drawing-rolls arranged adjacent to the stripper-rolls, and means for transmitting motion to the said rolls, substantially as described.

S. In a tobacco-stemming machine, the comrotating superposed contacting stripper-rolls provided with a series of peripheral flanges and stem-grooves between the flanges, atransverse clearing-roll arranged at one side'of and above the upper stripperroll and provided with a longitudinal series of peripheral spaced flanges working inl the stem-grooves of the upper stripper-roll, a series Iof upwardly-disposed clearing-iingers supported to project into the'stem-grooves of the lower stripperroll at `the lower side thereof, anda pair of superposed contacting drawing rolls supported at one side of the stripper-rolls, substantially as set forth. j

9. In a tobacco stemming machine, the combination of the frame or standprovided with separate compartments, a feed-belt arranged Within the frame, apair of superposed contacting, and intermittently forwardly rotating stripper-rolls having means to retard the body of the leaf and to permit the free passage of the stem, clearing devices for said stripper-rolls to direct the stemmed leaf into one compartment of the frame, a superposed pair of drawing-rolls arranged adjacent to thel stripper-rolls, a groupof supplemental stripper-rolls arranged at one side of and rotating faster than the drawing-rolls and above one of the compartments of the frame, said supplemental stripper-rolls being provided with peripheral contacting flanges and `stemgrooves between the ianges, and suitable gearing for transmitting motion to the severa rolls, substantially as set forth.

.10. In a tobacco-stemming machine, the combination of the frame, a pair of superposed contacting stripper-rolls mounted in. said frame and having means to retard the body of the leaf and to permit the free passage of the stem, a cog-wheel mounted on one of the shaft extremities of one of said strip? per-rolls, a suitably-arranged counter-shaft, means for driving said counter-shaft, a mutilated reversing gear-wheel mounted on one end of said counter-shaft and provided with an internal gear-flange meshing with said cogwheel at one side thereof, and with a short external gear-segment disposed directly opposite the untoothed Aportion of the internal :gear-iange and adapted `to mesh withsaid cog-wheel to provide for rotating the same in v fthereto from said ygefarr-flange, and-a pair of 'superposed contacting faster-rotating drawa reverse direction to the rotationimparted ing-rolls mounted' at one side of the stripperrolls', substantially as set forth.

l1. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair y of superposed' rotating c utterless stripperrollsprovided with a seriesof frictionally-contacting peripheral ianges and stem-grooves between the flanges, and having a rotation in 4an opposite direction to the-movement of the stem, substantially as set forth.

'12. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair of superposed cutterless stripper-rolls, one of which is made of rubber and the other of metal, said rolls being provided with a series of frictionally and flatly contacting peripheral ilanges"and stem-grooves between the flanges, the iianges of the metal rollbeing provided with milled peripheral faces, said rolls also having a rotation in an opposite direction to the movement of the stem, substantially as set forth.

13. In a tobacco-stemming machine, a pair of stripper-rolls having means to retard the body of the leaf and to permit the free passage of the stem, said rolls having a rotation in an opposite direction to the movement of the stem, means for drawing the stem from the leaf held by the rolls, and means for feeding the Stem of the leaf .to the drawing mechanism, substantially as set forth.

14. In a tobacco-stemming machine, 'a pair of stripper-rolls having means to retard the body of the leaf and permit the free passage of the stem, said rolls having a rotation in an opposite direction to' the movement of the stem, a pair of rolls for drawing the stem from the leaf held by the stripper-rolls, and posi- .tions of the body of the leaf not stripped therefrom by said stripper-rolls, and drawing mechanism'arranged intermediate said stripper-rolls and the supplemental stripping or cleaning mechanism, substantially as set forth.

16. In a tobaccostemming machine, the combination with the primary stripping mechanism, ofsupplcmental stripper-rolls having means for gripping the body of the leaf and to permit a free passage of the stem, substantially as set forth.

17. In a tobacco-stemming machine, the combination with the primary stripping mechanism, of supplemental stripper-rolls having means to grip Aand move the body of the leaf rapidly forward and to permit a free relatively slow passage of the stem, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

` JOSEPH. B. UNDERVOOD.

Witnesses:

H. J. MARSH,

T. M. HUNTER.

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